Local volunteers passionate about prairie restoration

POLO – Illinois is known as The Prairie State, but many of the plants and wildlife in the prairie ecosystem are in danger of disappearing.

There was a time when 60 percent of the state was prairie, but of that 22 million acres, only about 2,500 acres of that grassland still exists. Much of the lost prairie has become farmland, but the movement to restore our grasslands is gaining strength.

A depleted state budget has left much of the heavy lifting to volunteer-based organizations, and many passionate stewards of nature are hard at work in the Sauk Valley.

A group of 10 volunteers were busy Saturday morning seeding about 2 acres of city-owned land at the Polo sewer plant property on Galena Trail Road. Paul Soderholm and Mike Scholl unloaded containers of the native prairie blend for the small group to spread over the soil which still glistened with snow on an unseasonably warm winter day.

"We got it from Nachusa Grasslands, and they said there could be 30 to 40 species in this mix," said Soderholm, who has been involved with The Nature Conservancy for many years.

Soderholm also serves as treasurer of the Middle Rock Conservation Partners, which is working to restore prairies, woodlands, wetlands and savannas in Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties. The MRCP took a giant step forward in April when it was granted state nonprofit status.

The MRCP has its own fire crew and can conduct controlled burns on up to 2,000 acres of prairie in a single spring season. The burns help manage weeds and invasive species, and help restore nutrients for future native plant growth.

"We're in the process of securing money for fire equipment to help with the burns," Soderholm said. "It's exciting to have our nonprofit status, and now we're trying to raise about $41,000 for the equipment."

Scholl is also passionate about restoring the area's natural habitat, but putting prairie back in this particular area will provide wildflower forage for his honeybees.

"I live in town, but 3 years ago, I bought land near here with a cabin and beehives – this is my man cave," Scholl said. "It's great to see the land revert back to what it was many years ago."

Scholl used to have 30 hives, but is now down to six. Most of his honey is sold to farmers market vendors.

The seeding of the sewer plant land is just the beginning for the volunteers. Keeping up with the weeds is no small task, and it could take a while to fully realize the fruits of their labors.

"The first 3 years are known as sleep, creep and leap, and it might get 12 or 13 inches high by then, but some seeding can take 10 years," Scholl said.

Some teens from Polo High School were part of the seeding party. Science teacher Gina Cole has started the Outdoor Club for students, hoping to instill her passion for stewardship in a new generation of volunteers.

"I started thinking about this as a way to get kids to do hiking and some conservancy work, and everything came together last fall," Cole said.

Sadie Baumann, 15, one of seven club members, helped with the initial phase of the restoration project. She hopes more students will take advantage of the opportunity to have fun while making a difference.

"I'm in a lot of clubs at school because I'm always interested in helping out," Baumann said. "It's hard to find things like this to do, so I'm trying to get more people involved."

While living in Chicago, Soderholm and his wife, Carol, had dreamed of finding a weekend cabin where they could plant a few trees, but in 1999, they decided to move to Mount Morris.

"I had read an article in the newspaper that painted such an incredible picture of the Franklin Creek area, and one night we went to the Twilight Walk at Nachusa, and the experience was providential," Soderholm said.

The tree-planting stopped in 2000, when they discovered the property had once been grassland, and the Soderholms have worked to restore prairie ever since. They have pieced together 191 acres, and 130 acres near White Pines State Park have gained state designation as The Edward F. Vassallo Land and Water Reserve, a tribute to Carol's son who died of leukemia 4 years ago.

"He lived in New York City and loved to spend time here," Soderholm said. "It was a tremendous loss, but he'll live on through this land that will be protected forever."

The group seeded about half of the targeted area Saturday, and when the weather cooperates, another session will be scheduled to finish the job.

GETTING INVOLVED

Contact the Middle Rock Conservation Partners at middlerockconservationpartners.org/contact to join, donate to or get more information about the group.

Contact Paul Soderholm at 312-343-7315 or soderholm.paul@gmail.com for more information about prairie restoration and other conservation volunteer opportunities.